Find Us Online:

Norfolk State University Names Athletes of the Year

Norfolk State seniors Kiara Howell and Deon King were named the University’s Female Athlete and Male Athlete of the Year, respectively, at the athletics department’s annual all-sports awards ceremony.

Howell, a senior from Chesapeake, Virginia, is in her fourth year on the Spartan women’s track and field team. Howell was named the MEAC Co-Most Outstanding Field Athlete at the MEAC Indoor Championships in February after placing second in both the shot put and weight throw events, earning NSU 16 points at the championship. She has also won the Most Outstanding Field Athlete award at all three MEAC Outdoor Championship meets in which she has competed. Howell is currently ranked among the top six in the MEAC in the four outdoor throwing events: the shot put, discus, hammer and javelin.

King, a senior linebacker from Reston, Virginia, became NSU’s first-ever Division I FCS consensus first-team All-American in 2015 after leading all of Division I in tackles, with 163. The three-time All-MEAC linebacker was also named the winner of the 2015 Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the top defensive player in the FCS. King also had 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception and one forced fumble in 2015. King was a three-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week award winner in 2015 and played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl all-star game in January.

Sophomore softball second baseman Seana Moriarty and junior baseball first baseman Brian Beard (both of Chesapeake, Virginia) were named the NSU Female and Male Scholar Athletes of the Year, respectively, for having the highest cumulative GPAs among their respective genders in the NSU athletics program. Moriarty has a 3.99 GPA and is majoring in applied mathematics. Beard carries a 3.90 GPA and is a business management major.